NH toll plazas may go cashless from April 1; NHAI proposes only FASTag, UPI payments
New Delhi (PTI): Highways authority NHAI is considering discontinuing cash payments at highway toll plazas from April 1, requiring commuters to use only digital modes such as FASTag or UPI for toll payments.
Post implementation, all toll payments at National Highway fee plazas will be processed exclusively through digital modes, using FASTag or Unified Payments Interface (UPI), the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) said.
The authority said it is contemplating completely discontinuing cash transactions at the National Highway fee plazas across the country from April 1, 2026, in order to develop a fully digital National Highway tolling ecosystem.
The proposed measure is aimed at consolidating the gains achieved in Electronic Toll Collection and strengthening the efficiency & reliability of National Highway fee plaza operations, it said.
The transition will help to enhance ‘Ease of Commuting’ for National Highway users by improving lane throughput, reducing congestion at fee plazas and bringing greater consistency and transparency in toll transactions.
In the past few years, over 98 per cent penetration of FASTag has significantly transformed toll collection practices in the country. At present, an overwhelming proportion of toll transactions are processed electronically through RFID-enabled FASTag affixed to vehicles, facilitating seamless and contactless movement across toll plazas.
In addition, UPI payment facilities have been operationalized at the National Highway toll plazas, ensuring availability of instant and accessible digital payment options for National Highway commuters nationwide.
As per National Highway fee rules, vehicles entering a fee plaza without a valid, functional FASTag are charged twice the applicable user fee, if the fee payment is made in cash. Whereas National Highway users who opt to pay via UPI are charged only 1.25 times of the user fee for the applicable vehicle category.
These initiatives have collectively advanced the objective of reducing dependency on cash transactions and digitizing the tolling framework.
Plaza-level assessments indicate that cash-based payments contribute to congestion, increased waiting times during peak traffic periods and transaction-related disputes.
A complete transition to digital only mode of payment will strengthen operational efficiency, improve traffic management, minimise delays and enhance overall National Highway user experience at over 1,150 fee plazas on various National Highways and Expressways in the country.
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12-year-old girl killed in lightning strike in Kerala's Idukki
Idukki (Kerala) (PTI): A 12-year-old girl died after being struck by lightning at Uruvapara here, police said on Saturday.
The deceased was identified as Nafeesathul Misriya, daughter of Afsal, a native of Cheruvelikkunnu near Perumbavoor in Ernakulam district.
According to the police, Misriya and her family reached Uruvapara to attend ‘Summerfest’, a tourism event, on Friday evening.
Police said that lightning struck Misriya. Apart from Misriya, two others were also injured in the incident.
Though Misriya was rushed to a nearby private hospital, she was declared dead, police said.
The injured persons are currently admitted to a private hospital in Thodupuzha.
Thodupuzha police have registered a case of unnatural death and initiated an investigation.
The body will be handed over to relatives after the postmortem, police added.
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